The congregation sells the works of a respected artist at a ridiculous charge: “Unfathomable,” says Hannu Väisänen

Visual artist Hannu Väisänen’s works had been on display on the Uudenkaupunki parish center for over 30 years. The artist is dismayed with the aid of the selection to promote them.

Uusikaupunki parish The church council has decided to sell the artist Hannu Väisänen the works of art made, that have been exhibited in Uusikaupunki parish center when you consider that 1990.

Väisänen won that point invitational competition prepared by the parish about the implementation of the art work program.

The maximum large works are on the altar wall of the parish hall and at the wall of the cafeteria, further to which Väisänen’s photographs may be seen in various rooms of the parish middle and inside the archive.

According to the Church Council’s presentation, parishioners have experienced Väisänen’s works as faraway and hard to technique. It has been hoped that the works of art displayed in the premises will more genuinely express the Christian message, such as grace, pleasure and connection.

 

 

Reverend Juhana Markkula Picture: Uusikaupunki parish

Uusikaupunki parish labored as vicar for almost four years Juhana Markkula says that he often obtained comments from parishioners regarding Väisänen’s works. The comments have concerned, for instance, the truth that the symbolism of artwork has no longer unfolded to parishioners within the way that turned into hoped.

“In general, it is probably approximately the problem among non-figurative and figurative art in the ecclesiastical and congregational context. After listening to this surprise at work for an extended sufficient time, we commenced to wonder if it turned into time for a new image on this space.”

According to Markkula, the message of Väisänen’s works would require familiarization with the artist’s written documentation, that is almost no longer viable for plenty people.

“Now that those observations and comments have come, we determined to approach the matter from a pragmatic factor of view. They are works of artwork that can have exceptional locations and one-of-a-kind owners. I’m sorry that we didn’t touch Hannu Väisäse in advance.”

Artist Hannu Väisänen is greatly surprised and sorry for the statistics he received.

“This could be unfathomable for any artist,” he says.

He is involved that the scenario should at worst become a precedent that impacts the decisions made by way of different churches.

“In the Nineteen Eighties and 1990s, I saw a fine improvement wherein cutting-edge artwork was welcomed into church premises. Now I’m afraid that the talk between present day art and the church will quit.”

Parochial Two artwork dealers, Bukowski Oy and Hagelstam & Co., had been asked to determine the contemporary value of owned works of artwork. From Oy. The fee estimates range from 2,000 to 4,000 euros for the altar desk and 1,2 hundred to 3,000 euros for the coffee desk.

According to Markkula, financial reasons are not related to the sales plans of the works.

“The actual fee of the works may be extensively better,” he states.

Väisänen considers price estimates and especially making them public to be very unfortunate.

“As a end result, every body who is going to the gallery to shop for my works can say that those have been much cheaper at public sale. I feel that the artist is actually stripped naked here.”

According to Markkula, the art to be obtained for the parish middle could be searched for via mapping already present alternatives. A new invitational competition will not be organized.

“I’m coming to concentrate to what kind of discussion is generated locally about this. There also are parishioners who're very attached to Väisänen’s paintings.”

Markkula emphasizes that there is no rush to promote the works, however alternatives will be explored in the course of the fall. Uusikaupunki’s parish hall is in especially small use in phrases of the number of visitors.

“Väisänen is a respected artist. There are, for instance, artwork galleries or art museums in Finland, in which the works might be visible by a bigger audience.”

 

 

Hannu Väisänen photographed in March 2016 at Galleria Forsblom before the opening of his exhibition. Picture: Kaisa Rautaheimo / HS

Finnish an art historian who studied church art Markku Valkonen considers the choice of the Uusikaupunki parish to be surprising and unfortunate.

“In this case, wouldn’t it had been more fruitful to bring the artist himself to tell the parishioners approximately the works?”, he reflects and states that artwork frequently requires a deeper exam on the way to open up.

He considers the sales costs of the forums “pretty modest-sounding.” Hannu Väisänen is an across the world recognized painter.

“Of course, the charge always depends on the size of the works, however sure, the works of an artist like Väisänen start at greater than 10,000 euros,” Valkonen estimates.

Although Valkonen doesn’t even keep in mind controversies because of church art from the next few years, it’s not unparalleled in any respect. Church art has sparked lots of discussion.

“Classical topics, the crucifixion and the familiar Biblical memories, regularly serve as starting factors for church artwork, and especially while realized realistically, they're without difficulty customary,” he says.

However, from the Fifties onward, modernist traits commenced to persuade public art in Finland, which public opinion slowly accompanied.

In their own time, sculptors, among others, induced a stir Kauko Räsänen Called “Hole Angel” (1960). Angel– grave sculpture in Lappeenranta and By Cain Tapper summary altar sculpture Calvary Rock (1961) In the church of Orivesi.

The altarpiece with the Abloy keys painted by Hannu Väisänen for St. Michael’s Church in Kontula inside the overdue Eighties also prompted confusion amongst parishioners.

Valkonen does not speculate at the intellectual actions of Uusikaupunki parishioners that caused the sale of Väisänen’s art work. He says, however, that modern-day artwork can nonetheless be perceived as difficult and distant, even though it has been many years to get used to the brand new visible language.

Read extra: Visual artist Samuli Heimonen was chosen to color the new art work for the Petäjävesi church, and he wanted to do matters in a different way from what has been achieved before – This is what the brand new kind of angel figures appear to be

Read more: White Vale

Correction 29.6. At 15:forty one: Corrected Bukowskis Oy to Bukowski Oy.